How to Use ‘Seem’ with Plural Subjects: Rules, Examples, and Common Mistakes

The verb “seem” is a common linking verb in English, essential for expressing appearances, impressions, or indirect perceptions. However, many learners—and even native speakers—find it tricky to use “seem” correctly with singular and plural subjects, especially in different tenses or more complex sentence structures. Mistakes with subject-verb agreement, especially with verbs like “seem,” can make writing and speaking sound unnatural or incorrect.

Mastering subject-verb agreement with “seem” is vital for clear and correct English. This article will help you understand exactly how “seem” works with plural and singular subjects, how it changes in different tenses, and how to avoid common errors. Whether you are an ESL/EFL learner, an English teacher, a writer, or simply someone aiming to improve your grammar, this guide is designed for you.

Throughout this comprehensive article, you’ll find detailed explanations, dozens of examples, tables summarizing key rules, and practice exercises with answers. We’ll cover everything from basic sentences to advanced structures, ensuring you feel confident using “seem” in any context.

3. Definition Section
4. Structural Breakdown
5. Types or Categories
6. Examples Section
7. Usage Rules
8. Common Mistakes
9. Practice Exercises
10. Advanced Topics
11. FAQ Section
12. Conclusion

3. Definition Section

3.1. What Does ‘Seem’ Mean?

The verb “seem” is used to describe the way something appears or is perceived, rather than stating a definite fact. It introduces an opinion or impression rather than a confirmed reality.

Seem expresses what something appears to be, often based on indirect evidence.
It differs from “appear” and “look,” which can be more visual or formal.

Examples:

She seems upset.
They seem ready for the exam.
It seems that he forgot the meeting.

3.2. Grammatical Classification of ‘Seem’

“Seem” is classified as an intransitive verb, which means it does not take a direct object. It is also a linking verb: it connects the subject to a subject complement (an adjective, noun, or phrase that describes or identifies the subject).

**Table 1: Common Linking Verbs vs. ‘Seem’**
Linking Verb	Example Sentence
be	The sky is blue.
seem	They seem tired.
become	He became angry.
appear	It appears simple.
look	She looks happy.
feel	The water feels cold.
sound	The music sounds loud.

3.3. Function and Usage Contexts

“Seem” is used to express indirect observations, opinions, or impressions. It is commonly used when the speaker is not certain or is offering a subjective view.

**Table 2: Contexts for ‘Seem’ Usage**
Context	Example
Feelings	They seem happy.
Appearance	The roads seem slippery.
Opinions	It seems like a good idea.
Indirect Statements	There seem to be some problems.
Observations	The students seem confused.
Assumptions	The guests seem to have left.

4. Structural Breakdown

4.1. Subject-Verb Agreement with ‘Seem’

The form of “seem” changes depending on whether the subject is singular or plural, especially in the present simple tense.

Singular subject: seems (He seems tired.)
Plural subject: seem (They seem tired.)

**Table 3: Subject-Verb Agreement Patterns for ‘Seem’**
Subject	Verb Form	Example
He/She/It	seems	She seems upset.
I/You/We/They	seem	They seem upset.
A cat	seems	A cat seems scared.
Cats	seem	Cats seem scared.

4.2. Tense Forms of ‘Seem’

The verb “seem” can be used in various tenses. The form changes depending on tense and subject.

Present simple: seems (singular), seem (plural)
Past simple: seemed (no singular/plural distinction)
Present perfect: has seemed (singular), have seemed (plural)
Continuous: is seeming/are seeming (very rare, but possible)

**Table 4: Conjugation of ‘Seem’ Across Tenses: Singular vs. Plural**
Tense	Singular Subject	Plural Subject	Example (Singular)	Example (Plural)
Present Simple	seems	seem	She seems worried.	They seem worried.
Past Simple	seemed	seemed	He seemed angry.	The children seemed angry.
Present Perfect	has seemed	have seemed	It has seemed easy.	They have seemed easy.
Present Continuous	is seeming	are seeming	She is seeming distant. (rare)	They are seeming distant. (rare)
Future (will)	will seem	will seem	He will seem pleased.	They will seem pleased.

When “seem” is used with a modal verb (can, could, may, might, should, must, etc.), the base form seem is always used, regardless of subject number.

They might seem tired.
He could seem nervous.
The results may seem surprising.

4.4. Negative and Interrogative Forms

Negative: Use “do/does/did” with “not” + base form “seem.” Plural subjects use “do not seem.”
Questions: Invert “do/does/did” and the subject. Plural subjects use “do.”

**Table 5: Affirmative, Negative, and Interrogative Patterns with Plural Subjects**
Form	Plural Subject	Example
Affirmative	seem	The books seem new.
Negative	do not seem (don’t seem)	The answers do not seem correct.
Interrogative	Do + subject + seem	Do the results seem accurate?
Past Negative	did not seem	The plans did not seem realistic.
Past Interrogative	Did + subject + seem	Did the children seem happy?

5. Types or Categories

5.1. Simple Sentences with ‘Seem’

The typical structure is:
Subject + seem(s) + complement

The flowers seem fresh.
John seems tired.

5.2. Compound and Complex Sentences

“Seem” can also appear in compound sentences (with conjunctions like “and,” “but,” “or”) or in complex sentences, including relative clauses.

The children seem excited, but the parents seem tired.
She seems happy when she is with friends.
The people who seem worried are new employees.

5.3. Impersonal Constructions

Impersonal “it seems” and existential “there seem(s) to be” are common English constructions.

**Table 6: Impersonal Constructions with Singular and Plural Nouns**
Construction	Singular Example	Plural Example
It seems	It seems that he is late.	It seems that they are late.
There seems to be	There seems to be a problem.	There seem to be problems.
There appears/seems	There appears to be a mistake.	There appear to be mistakes.

5.4. Passive-like and Causative Constructions

“Seem” can introduce passive-like meanings or be used in reported speech.

She seems to be loved by everyone.
They seem to have been warned in advance.
It seems that the documents were misplaced.
He said that the students seemed interested.

6. Examples Section

6.1. Singular vs. Plural Subject Examples

Singular subject (“seems”):

The student seems confused.
She seems determined.
The dog seems excited.
My phone seems broken.
The answer seems correct.
It seems difficult.
Mark seems disappointed.
The weather seems unpredictable.
This solution seems promising.
The idea seems interesting.

Plural subject (“seem”):

The students seem confused.
They seem determined.
The dogs seem excited.
My phones seem broken.
The answers seem correct.
The instructions seem difficult.
Marks seem disappointing.
The weather patterns seem unpredictable.
These solutions seem promising.
The ideas seem interesting.

6.2. Examples in Different Tenses

“Seem” can be used in various tenses and aspects. Below is a table with examples, especially with plural subjects.

**Table 7: Examples of ‘Seem’ in All Major Tenses with Plural Subjects**
Tense	Example with Plural Subject
Present Simple	The kids seem happy.
Present Continuous	The workers are seeming less motivated. (rare)
Present Perfect	The results have seemed inconsistent.
Past Simple	The candidates seemed nervous.
Past Continuous	The animals were seeming restless. (rare)
Past Perfect	The students had seemed prepared.
Future Simple	The proposals will seem reasonable.
Future Perfect	The facts will have seemed clear.
Modal (might)	The answers might seem confusing.
Modal (should)	The figures should seem accurate.
Modal (must)	The stories must seem strange.
Modal (could)	The results could seem biased.

The students might seem tired after the test.
The instructions could seem complicated.
The changes may seem sudden.
The plans should seem realistic.
The facts must seem obvious to you.
The solutions can seem simple at first.
The stories would seem unbelievable.
The symptoms might not seem severe.

6.4. Complex Sentences

The people who seem tired have worked all night.
Although the instructions seem clear, many students made mistakes.
The books seem old, but they are valuable.
If the results seem inconsistent, check your calculations.
The students seem interested in whatever topic is discussed.
While the symptoms seem mild, the illness can be serious.
They seem to understand the rules, although they are new.

6.5. Impersonal and Existential Examples

There seem to be several mistakes in this report.
There seem to be many people waiting outside.
There seem to be more options available now.
There seems to be a problem with the printer.
It seems that the students are absent today.
It seems that there are some technical issues.

6.6. Table 8: Summary Table of Correct Usage in Different Contexts

**Table 8: Summary Table of Correct Usage in Different Contexts**
Context	Form	Example
Singular Present	seems	The dog seems friendly.
Plural Present	seem	The dogs seem friendly.
Singular Past	seemed	The answer seemed correct.
Plural Past	seemed	The answers seemed correct.
Present Perfect	have seemed	The results have seemed inconsistent.
Modal	might seem	The stories might seem strange.
Negative Present	do not seem	The ideas do not seem useful.
Negative Past	did not seem	The plans did not seem realistic.
Question Present	Do…seem?	Do the results seem accurate?
Impersonal “it”	it seems	It seems that they are busy.
Existential “there”	there seem	There seem to be many options.
Relative Clause	who seem	The people who seem tired are leaving.
Compound	seem	The students seem happy, but the teacher seems tired.
Passive-like	seem to be + past participle	The rules seem to be followed.
With Infinitive	seem to + verb	The cats seem to love fish.

7. Usage Rules

7.1. Rule 1: Always Match ‘Seem’ Form to Subject Number

In the present simple tense, use “seems” with singular subjects and “seem” with plural subjects.

Correct: The dogs seem tired. (plural)
Correct: The dog seems tired. (singular)
Incorrect: The students seems ready.

7.2. Rule 2: Use Base Form After Modal Verbs

After modal verbs (can, may, might, must, etc.), always use “seem” (not “seems”), regardless of subject number.

Correct: The answers might seem confusing.
Incorrect: The answers might seems confusing.

7.3. Rule 3: Past Tense Does Not Change for Plurality

In the past tense, “seemed” is used for both singular and plural subjects.

Correct: The students seemed interested.
Correct: The student seemed interested.

7.4. Rule 4: Impersonal ‘It’ vs. Plural Subjects

“It seems” is used for impersonal statements, regardless of the true subject. For plural actual subjects, use “seem.”

It seems that the children are happy.
The children seem happy.

7.5. Rule 5: Subject Placement and Inversion in Questions

In questions, invert the auxiliary verb and the subject.

Do the students seem excited?
Does the student seem excited?

Note: In negative forms, use “do not seem” (plural) and “does not seem” (singular).

7.6. Special Cases and Exceptions

Collective nouns (like “team,” “staff”) can take either singular or plural verb forms, depending on whether the group is considered as a unit or as individuals (especially in British English).

Uncountable nouns always take singular form: “The information seems correct.”

Indefinite pronouns: “Everyone seems happy,” but “All seem happy.”

**Table 9: Special Cases and Their Correct Usage**
Case	Subject	Verb Form	Example
Collective noun (singular, AmE)	The team	seems	The team seems ready.
Collective noun (plural, BrE)	The team	seem	The team seem ready.
Uncountable noun	The furniture	seems	The furniture seems old.
Indefinite pronoun (singular)	Everyone	seems	Everyone seems concerned.
Indefinite pronoun (plural)	All	seem	All seem concerned.

8. Common Mistakes

8.1. Using ‘Seems’ with Plural Subjects

Incorrect: The students seems happy.
Correct: The students seem happy.

8.2. Using ‘Seem’ with Singular Subjects

Incorrect: She seem tired.
Correct: She seems tired.

8.3. Errors with Modal Verbs

Incorrect: They might seems tired.
Correct: They might seem tired.

8.4. Mistakes in Negative and Question Forms

Incorrect: The results doesn’t seem accurate.
Correct: The results don’t seem accurate.
Incorrect: Do she seem happy?
Correct: Does she seem happy?

8.5. Collective Nouns and Agreement Confusion

Incorrect (AmE): The team seem happy.
Correct (AmE): The team seems happy.
Correct (BrE): The team seem happy.

8.6. Table 10: Common Mistakes and Their Corrections

**Table 10: Common Mistakes and Their Corrections**
#	Incorrect	Correct
1	The books seems interesting.	The books seem interesting.
2	She seem nervous.	She seems nervous.
3	They seems ready.	They seem ready.
4	The answers doesn’t seem correct.	The answers don’t seem correct.
5	Does they seem happy?	Do they seem happy?
6	The team seem motivated. (AmE)	The team seems motivated.
7	The children was seemed tired.	The children seemed tired.
8	He might seems confused.	He might seem confused.
9	There seems to be mistakes.	There seem to be mistakes.
10	Everyone seem happy.	Everyone seems happy.

9. Practice Exercises

Test your understanding with these exercises. The answer key follows at the end of this section.

9.1. Fill-in-the-Blank: Choose ‘seem’ or ‘seems’

The cats ______ hungry.
She ______ ready for the race.
The instructions ______ clear.
Everyone ______ excited.
My friends ______ busy today.
This story ______ unbelievable.
The results ______ promising.
It ______ that they are late.
There ______ to be problems.
The teacher ______ concerned.

9.2. Correct the Error

The students seems worried.
She seem confused.
The books doesn’t seem interesting.
Does they seem tired?
The dogs seems playful.
Everyone seem happy today.
They might seems angry.
There seems to be mistakes in the report.

9.3. Identification Exercise: Is the Usage Correct?

The children seem happy. ( )
She seem upset. ( )
The results have seemed positive. ( )
The team seem ready. (AmE) ( )
They might seem tired. ( )
It seem that they are gone. ( )

9.4. Sentence Construction

Write a sentence using a plural subject and “seem.”
Write a sentence using “there seem to be” with a plural noun.
Write a compound sentence with two plural subjects and “seem.”

9.5. Mixed Tense Practice

The students ______ (seem/seemed) interested yesterday.
The answers ______ (have seemed/has seemed) accurate so far.
These plans ______ (might seem/might seems) difficult.
The dogs ______ (do not seem/does not seem) hungry.
Did the children ______ (seem/seems) excited?

9.6. Table 11: Answer Key for All Exercises

**Table 11: Answer Key for All Exercises**
Exercise	Number	Answer
9.1	1	seem
9.1	2	seems
9.1	3	seem
9.1	4	seems
9.1	5	seem
9.1	6	seems
9.1	7	seem
9.1	8	seems
9.1	9	seem
9.1	10	seems
9.2	1	The students seem worried.
9.2	2	She seems confused.
9.2	3	The books don’t seem interesting.
9.2	4	Do they seem tired?
9.2	5	The dogs seem playful.
9.2	6	Everyone seems happy today.
9.2	7	They might seem angry.
9.2	8	There seem to be mistakes in the report.
9.3	1	Correct
9.3	2	Incorrect
9.3	3	Correct
9.3	4	Incorrect
9.3	5	Correct
9.3	6	Incorrect
9.4	1	The children seem excited.
9.4	2	There seem to be several issues.
9.4	3	The students seem happy, and the teachers seem proud.
9.5	1	seemed
9.5	2	have seemed
9.5	3	might seem
9.5	4	do not seem
9.5	5	seem

10. Advanced Topics

10.1. Subtle Differences: ‘Seem’ vs. ‘Appear’ vs. ‘Look’

“Seem,” “appear,” and “look” are related but have subtle differences:

**Table 12: Comparison Table with Examples**
Verb	Typical Use	Example
seem	General impression, mental/indirect perception	They seem happy.
appear	More formal, often interchangeable with “seem”	The results appear accurate.
look	Visual impression, especially physical appearance	The children look happy.
seem vs. appear	“Appear” is slightly more formal; both often used in indirect statements	There seem/appear to be mistakes.
look vs. seem	“Look” is used for visual cues; “seem” for overall impression	She looks tired. (physical); She seems tired. (overall)

10.2. Formal vs. Informal Usage

“Seem” is neutral and widely used in both formal and informal English. “Appear” is slightly more formal. “Look” is more informal or conversational, especially for visual impressions.

10.3. Regional and Dialectal Variations

In American English, collective nouns like “team” usually take singular verbs (The team seems). In British English, both singular and plural verbs are possible depending on whether the group is seen as a unit or as individuals (The team seem or seems).

10.4. ‘Seem’ in Reported Speech and Subjunctive Structures

“Seem” is common in reported speech and in subjunctive-like structures:

He said that the children seemed tired.
It would seem that the project is successful.
It seems as if she were angry. (subjunctive “were” after “as if”)

10.5. Corpus-Based Insights: Frequency and Contexts

Frequency data from language corpora shows that “seem” is more common with plural subjects in academic and formal writing, while “look” is preferred in everyday conversation. “Seem” often introduces hedged or cautious statements, particularly in analysis and reporting.

11. FAQ Section

What is the correct plural form of ‘seem’?

“Seem” itself does not have a plural form like nouns. In present simple tense, use “seem” with plural subjects and “seems” with singular subjects. Example: “They seem ready.”
Why do we say ‘They seem’ and not ‘They seems’?

In English, verbs in the present simple tense drop the “-s” ending with plural subjects. “They” is plural, so use “seem.”
How does ‘seem’ change in past tense for plural subjects?

In the past simple tense, “seemed” is used for both singular and plural subjects. Example: “The students seemed happy.”
Can ‘seem’ be used with both countable and uncountable nouns?

Yes. With uncountable nouns, use the singular form: “The information seems accurate.” With plural countable nouns: “The facts seem accurate.”
Is ‘seem’ ever used as a plural noun?

No. “Seem” is a verb and does not have a plural noun form.
How does subject-verb agreement work with collective nouns and ‘seem’?

In American English, collective nouns are usually singular (“The team seems ready”). In British English, both singular and plural forms are possible (“The team seem/seems ready”). Context determines the agreement.
What are common mistakes when using ‘seem’ with groups of people?

The most common mistake is using “seems” with a plural subject (“The students seems happy”). Always use “seem” with plural subjects.
How do modal verbs affect the form of ‘seem’?

After a modal verb (can, could, may, might, should, must, etc.), always use the base form “seem,” regardless of subject number (“They might seem tired”).
What’s the difference between ‘seem’ and ‘appear’ with plural subjects?

Both are linking verbs and often interchangeable, especially in formal contexts. “Appear” is a bit more formal, but the verb agreement is the same: “They seem/appear tired.”
How do I ask questions or form negatives with ‘seem’ and plural subjects?

Use “do” for plurals: “Do the students seem happy?” Negative: “The students do not (don’t) seem happy.”
Are there any exceptions to the agreement rules with ‘seem’?

Only with collective nouns in British English, where both singular and plural forms can be correct. Otherwise, the rules are consistent.
How can I practice identifying the correct form of ‘seem’ in complex sentences?

Practice with exercises like those in this article, focusing on identifying the subject and ensuring agreement. Break down complex sentences to find the true subject.

12. Conclusion

Understanding how to use “seem” with plural and singular subjects is essential for accurate subject-verb agreement in English. Remember the core rules: use “seems” for singular and “seem” for plural in present simple; use the base form after modal verbs; and ensure agreement even in negatives and questions.

Watch for special cases, such as collective nouns and indefinite pronouns, and be aware of regional differences. By studying the many examples and practicing with the exercises provided, you can master this aspect of English grammar.

Continue to pay attention to linking verbs and subject-verb agreement across all your writing and speaking. Explore related verbs like “appear” and “look” to expand your skills and confidence even further.

Table of Contents